All In a Golden Afternoon
by Toclafane Saxon
Summary: A oneshot about Alice, now eighteen, returning to Wonderland. AlicexHatter.


Down, down, down. Past teapots, maps, and rocking chairs. Beyond recliners and gonging grandfathers. Down she fell, ready to make her stay permanent in the should-be-fictional world.

The fall was more graceful and less disastrous, touching her feet down without getting stuck on a black, metal grate. With a sigh and a smile, she brushed the bottom of her dress lightly.

"My," she began, It certainly seems shorter than I remember." Her azure pools gazed around and noted each two-dimensional detail she hadn't noticed when running after the white rabbit ten years earlier. She took a step forward towards the layer of doors that opened, only revealing that same tiny doorway she would find impossible to get through. Getting onto her hands and knees, the lithe blonde peeked her head through, and as if Wonderland wanted it so, she somehow fit through. It didn't phase her, however, as Wonderland was always the place where the impossible only became improbable.

The large, familiar room made her smile, walking to the large, transparent glass table, where a small bottle and a key rested idly. Remembering back, it hadn't been so easy, but with the opportunity quite literally on the table, she took the key in her right hand and the bottle in her left. She smiled appraisingly with a nod. "I won't make the same mistake again," she thought.

Alice moved to bend slightly, pulling back a small, velvet, purple curtain that covered a rather small door. Possibly smaller than the one she'd previously entered it, but she already knew it wouldn't magically allow her to fit through. She smiled gently to the doorknob, which snored slightly, and tapped it softly. The knob stammered as it woke, soon looking to the blonde.

"Hmm?" it yawned, then smiled warmly. "Oh, Alice! I do believe you are still bigger than you are smaller." he laughed, watching as Alice grinned.

"Quite." She showed the key. "Just want to unlock it, first."

The doorknob smiled and laughed a bit, nodding, "Of course, my dear," and his 'mouth' opened into a keyhole, into which the key was inserted and twisted until a distinct _click _was heard.

"There, now onto the other matter," she smiled, gazing to the bottle of orange liquid in her hand. A tag around its nose would read, 'DRINK ME', and Alice would know very well as to the drinks taste and effects. Ten years later, it still wouldn't be the poison she once checked for. Giving a slight shrug, Alice brought the rim of the bottle's head to her lips, beginning to sip the beverage until the bottle was empty. For a moment, nothing happened, but she soon began to grow smaller -like a telescope compacting within itself- until she was about a foot and a half tall.

Before opening the door and passing through rooms, Alice curtsied. The door revealed a shore on the other side, and she sighed, remembering it vividly. Looking over, she watched as a group of creatures ran in circles to remain dry. A caucus race, as she recalled. Shaking her head at the idiotic logic, she quickly hurried past into the nearby wood, where she'd once encountered two twins.

Quite quickly, those same twins noticed Alice and peered from behind a tree. They seemed confused, and hadn't prepared much of anything, but emerged.

Before so much as a word could be uttered, Alice put a finger up with a challenging grin. She'd give them a riddle even she didn't know the answer to. "How is a raven like a writing desk?"

Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee looked to each other in confusion, watching as Alice moved past them towards the Queen's Court. By way of the Queen -as it was illegal to go any way but the Queen's way.

Marching cards stood idly, an Ace flopping over with a smile as he spotted the girl who'd been chased out of Wonderland with screaming threats of punishment. The roses on the trees were red (most likely after another paint job, Alice figured), and looked around at the podiums.

"**My**, my," she mused, spotting the white rabbit writing a sort of decree on a large scroll of parchment. The top of the stairs he stood on served as a **desk**. "Things seem rather dull, today."

"As it should," sang a musical voice. She knew the voice. Alice turned to see a grinning mouth, which then became a purple-striped cat.

"Why **is** that?" Alice asked, quite curious, and never really having understood the Cheshire Cat's proverbial nonsense.

"**Full of** questions, aren't we, today?"

"You've changed." she stated with a smile. It was true.

"Things are bound to change when you're here and there. Witnessing **live** punishments here and moving down there."

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes. Moving down? Live punishments? She hadn't a clue as to what it all meant. The Cheshire Cat, then, began to fade, singing as he once had.

"_Twas brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe…"_

Shaking her head, Alice turned to proceed through the court and through an arch in the bushes that lead into another section of the woods. Now, she didn't hear woodland Wonderland creatures, but singing and whistling teapots. She rolled her eyes and right then wanted to turn back.

"**Scorpions!**" shouted a loud voice, and it quickly died down into another inaudible, fast-paced conversation. As Alice approached the area, she spotted two familiar figures. They didn't sing of 'unbirthdays', but slathered butter on toast and dipped it into their cups of tea, speaking of large creatures such as the Jabberwocky.

The March Hare gazed up and saw Alice at the gate. His long ears perked up as he began to bounce excitedly in his seat. "Aliceee! You've come for tea!"

Tea? Since when had she ever gotten so much as a sip of tea before being forced to get up and move for some silly drill?

"Of course," Alice agreed, defeated, looking to the Mad Hatter has he poured tea into a halved cup. A brow raised, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, opening the sugar pot as she sat to see the Dormouse. A smile spread across her lips.

"Ohhh! Miss Alice!" he said sleepily, slumping into the pot, "We've missed your company!"

"Thank you," smiled the blonde, "I've missed it here, as w-"

"Clean cup! Clean cup! Move down!" cried the Hatter, hands pushing Alice's back from her chair to another.

Alice crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest, clicking her tongue and moving to sip at her tea. The Hatter appeared beside her.

"Pinky out! Back straight! Did you lose your blue dress? How's my coat? Does my hat make my head look big? _Can you feel the love tonight_!?"

Alice would bring her hand hard across his face as this happened, the spontaneous song-singing being her final straw of patience. "Shut up, Hatter!" she ordered, soon moving to walk to the Hare with a 'humph' and tilt of her chin.

The March Hare stood on the table, sipping at his tea as Alice sat before him. "Dear, dear. I apologize for him, I really do, but its hard to control him. He _is _a bit mad, dontchaknow?"

"Yes. Quite right," Alice agreed, giving the Hatter a grimace. He noticed this and gave a puppy dog expression of sadness. There were times when the Hatter would seem sane, and would always change in a split second.

Silence fell across the garden for the first time, and, naturally, the Hatter would not only break it, he would shatter it.

The Hatter walked to Alice and handed her a rose, which she reluctantly took, immediately regretting it as it spoke.

"It's the _**WEED!" **_it shrieked, causing Alice to shove it back into Hatter's chest as she stood and stomped towards the gate in frustration.

The Hatter had always felt an attachment for Alice, even more so, now. He continued his advances persistently. "Alice! Wait!" he called, and stumbled after her. She turned around in annoyance with folded arms.

"Yes?" she hissed. Being called a weed was the cherry on top of a very mad (in the psychological definition) sundae.

The Hatter moved to take a pink flower from the blue band of his large, green hat, offering it to her. The plant had no face or voice, but was slightly withered. At that moment, he seemed…normal. Sincere, even.

Alice smiled gently and took the flower from the Hatter's hand, turning to the gate. Perhaps the stay in Wonderland wouldn't be quite as bad as she thought.

"Will you come back?" he questioned, standing idly like the madman he was, "For tea, that is!" For he would never admit actually being interested in someone.

"Goodbye, Hatter." she said in mock annoyance, smiling as she began to walk from the garden. "I'll see you tomorrow." she added finally.


End file.
